Damage. Control.

After the world forgot Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in Spider-Man: No Way Home, our hero carries on, confident his self-imposed isolation ensures people he loves are never lost like his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). Peter has reinvented himself in the four years since, helping Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) clean up the streets of NYC. The Department of Damage Control are the only ones able to contain supervillains, and while the government agency appears suspiciously interested in their tech, they could use Spidey’s help when an unknown assailant starts conducting attacks against them. Meanwhile, Peter accidentally finds himself in the proximity of MIT graduates MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), while at the same time dealing with either a sudden transformation or a dangerous mutation. Soliciting Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) for tips on how he subdues the Hulk, am I ever going to reveal what character Sadie Sink is playing?

There’s a lot in the ad trailers and interviews that make this sound like “just another must-see MCU blockbuster event” in the making. Fortunately, the previous three Tom Holland Spider-Man films have built on each other in terms of both canon and story (plus Avengers appearances), especially toward Peter’s maturity from hero-struck high school student (Homecoming and Far From Home) into a greatly responsible adult. There’s nothing smug about Holland himself, and he portrays Parker like a character of his own creation, from making bad choices to taking full responsibility. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton (who also helmed a couple of “Wonder Man” episodes) knows a thing or two about big action, but the studio really wants/needs a big win ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. Does Peter finally mature into the best incarnation of this character, or will Marvel throw everything against the wall and hope audiences will show up for a sure thing?

Is this the part where I say “Fear not, True Believers?” What has long set the MCU apart from previous superhero films and franchises is hiring amazing actors to fully inhabit their characters, so if the spectacle doesn’t quite soar, the characters still shine. Everyone inexplicably loves Spider-Man (in the films and watching the films), rooting for him at his highest and lowest, but Holland wears his heart right on his web-printed sleeves, and it feels as real as any human drama. It’s not just him, however, as the whole cast supports the narrative, maximizing every moment… and yes, including Sadie Sink’s role — which is meatier than expected. As the fourth in-MCU film to headline Spider-Man, this feels like the first time Holland is fully the lead, in control of his destiny, and becomes the hero fans know and love.

Of course, nothing is perfect. While Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle aka The Punisher steals scene after scene, he also seems oddly liberated. It’s like buddying around with Peter brings out the kid in him, never mind the police ignoring a black war van shooting its way down a city street, or him walking around in broad daylight armed-to-the-teeth like Florence Pugh’s Yelena in Thunderbolts. On the flip side of the coin, Brand New Day isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, like something Parker himself creates that, while well-intended, may be the prototype for some nefarious and well-known technology in the Marvel Universe. Somewhere on a different timeline, a character played by Jeff Goldblum is whispering into Peter’s ear: “Now you’re Tony Stark.” There’s plenty of seeding and winking for what’s to come, which contributes to the bloat but is also the very details speculating fans hang on and debate between films.

More than earlier outings, Zendaya is the film’s secret weapon, playing MJ through a series of events that showcases her raw yet effortless emotion; Holland himself claims she enhances everything she’s in, and as Mr. Zendaya, we can take him at his word. While feeling a bit overstuffed, fans will get their money’s worth (even being a couple of minutes shorter than No Way Home), and all the naysayers will have to hit the reset button on the superhero fatigue excuse… again. In the immortal words of Stan Lee: ‘Nuff said.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence, some language, and dealing with small potatoes before they get big.

Four skull recommendation out of four